Earlier this month, more than 470 data managers attended the 2024 Advances in Quality & Outcomes: A Data Manager’s Meeting (AQO) in Nashville, both virtually and in person. Throughout the successful three-day event, surgical team data managers deepened their understanding of the STS National Database. They learned about new features, functionality, quality improvement initiatives, and research outcomes from surgeon leaders, Database platform experts, and fellow data managers. This expanded knowledge will help them be integral to their heart team as they lead their centers to improve clinical outcomes and patient safety using the STS National Database.
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Attendees included (l to r): Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD; John E. Mayer Jr., MD; Timothe L’Heureux, MHA; Susana C. Reid, BSN, RN, CPN; Amanda McGlinchey, MHA, RN, CCRN; and Erin Hunter-McPhan, BSN, RN.
The event showcased the Database's unique analytical power in supporting ongoing outcomes analysis and continuous improvement efforts for each institution. Experts led in-depth discussions and presented four learning tracks to help users master each Database registry: Adult Cardiac, Congenital Heart, General Thoracic, and Intermacs/Pedimacs.
Here’s what a few attendees had to say:
“Thank you for the opportunity to speak at AQO this year. It was very well organized, and I felt I had excellent communication throughout the process. I know A LOT of work goes into coordinating events like this, so thank you for your efforts. It was really nice to get to talk with other users and share tips and tricks!” – Marie Wilson, MSHQS, MSN, RN, quality coordinator at University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital
“The conference last week was great! I really enjoyed the presentations, Q&A, and meeting other data managers. Keep up the great work!”– Clera Sugarbaker, performance improvement analyst/abstractor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
“Thank you for a great conference. I am proud to be a part of the STS Intermacs community. We truly do great things!! Looking forward to what is to come.” – Elizabeth Spreen, RN, clinical quality analyst at Baton Rouge General Medical Center
ProHealth Heart and Vascular Care in Waukesha, Wis., embarked on a multidisciplinary initiative to reduce ventilation times for isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting patients at Waukesha Memorial Hospital. The goals: Reduce the risk of patient harm associated with mechanical ventilation and achieve significant improvements in teamwork and safety culture.
In the realm of cardiovascular care, ensuring adherence to quality metrics is paramount for achieving better patient outcomes. But having a lot of data is not enough. Every healthcare professional who plays a role on an integrated patient care team needs to be aware of the data available to them, understand what it means, and act on that understanding. And that’s a challenge that exists across the health system.
CHICAGO (April 26, 2024) ─ The expanding use of transcatheter technologies has changed the landscape in the treatment of valvular disease in adult cardiac patients, with valve surgery rapidly shifting to more complex interventions frequently involving other concomitant procedures.
The expanding use of transcatheter valve technologies has changed the landscape in the treatment of valvular disease. Valve surgery is rapidly shifting to more complex interventions and concomitant procedures.
To inform heart team decision-making on valve surgery, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has developed new Adult Cardiac Surgery Risk Calculators to include:
In this panel discussion, STS members exchange viewpoints on a new study that found patients with postoperative PE had increased 30-day mortality, reintubation, and readmission rates, which was presented at the 2024 STS Annual Meeting.
In this short video, STS members exchange viewpoints on a new study that found patients with postoperative PE had increased 30-day mortality, reintubation, and readmission rates, which was presented at the 2024 STS Annual Meeting.
Robbin Cohen, MD, Cedars-Sinai at Huntington Hospital, is joined by the study’s lead author, Andrea L. Axtell, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Michael Smith, MD, Norton Thoracic Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center, and John Mitchell, MD, University of Colorado Health, to discuss the research methodology, findings and impact on improving patient care.
In the fast-paced environment of healthcare, hospitals face significant challenges related to medical records. The increasing number of missing documents in electronic medical records (EMR) can pose obstacles to case abstraction and risk adjustment. This case study reveals the EMR challenges Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital faced and the steps the data team took to improve document management and overall performance.
